Doku
Doku '(ドーク重鬼卿 ''Do-o-ku Ju Ki Kyou, Heavy Demon Lord, Doku) was a villain from Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, he was the Lord of the Greater Fiends of the Vigoor Empire, Kureha's murderer, and Ryu Hayabusa's main antagonist throughout the early to mid-late portions, as the instigator who set off a chain of events affecting Ryu. Appearance Doku was a flaming spectral fiend in a heavily armored dark knight suit of armor, closely resembling a Samurai. Where his face is supposed to be, is a glowing purple flame. In his Spirit Form, he is a blue ethereal form of his former self, but without legs and floating in mid air. Personality Doku is a loyal vassal of the Vigoorian Emperor and is merciless. When the Emperor gives an order to him, he executes it without a hint of compassion, as hinted by his attack on the Hayabusa Ninja Village and the slaying of Kureha. History During the violent Sengoku era of Japan, the Vigoorian Emperor had seen many deadly class of warriors emerge and incorporated them into his army. One of these were the Samurai warriors, extremely loyal to their Daimyo masters and ruthless to their enemies, traits the Emperor considered valuable. And so emerged Doku the epitome of the Samurai and his army of Samurai warriors. Having proven himself in lethal efficiency and loyalty, Doku was made the Emperor's second in command, and given the title Lord of the Greater Fiends. Centuries passed, and the Emperor needed more deity level fiends to fulfill his fiendish prophecy. Doku was sent to recruit these fiends known as greater fiends, by searching within the human population for those whose bloodlines had a high degree of fiendish blood from the mixing of the bloodlines with the ancient tribes millennia ago. His search ended when he found the sisters Alma and Rachel. Doku was able to tempt Alma with power, transforming her into a greater fiend. Rachel however rejected him, forcing her to flee as Doku was too powerful for her to take on. Doku would bide his time, knowing Rachel would come back for her sister, where he would then turn Rachel into a greater fiend or sacrifice her to unleash Alma's full potential if she refuses. Plot ''Ninja Gaiden'' Having been tipped with the location of the Dark Dragon Blade to a ninja village in Japan, the Emperor sent his Samurai corps lead by Doku to retrieve it. With his Samurai army Doku descended upon the Hayabusa Village, massacring it's inhabitants. Leaving his general Masakado and a detachment of Samurai Calvery to guard his rear, Doku enters the village's shrine housing the Dark Dragon Blade virtually unopposed. Upon retrieving the Dark Dragon Blade Doku beheads a ninja and then slays Kureha just as Ryu Hayabusa arrives to confront him. In the one on one duel the two warriors battle to a standstill until Doku activates the dark energies in the Dark Dragon Blade increasing his speed to bypass Ryu's defence, cleaving the Dragon Ninja in half."EGM: Just for the record: The game's main character, Ryu Hayabusa, dies at the beginning, right? How'd he come back to life after being cleaved in half? Tomonobu Itagaki: Yes, he died. Do you remember the falcon staring at his dead body? That falcon’s spiritual power resurrected him as a soldier of revenge." - Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine, June 2004, Chris Johnston Victorious, Doku leaves the smouldering village razed to deliver the Dark Dragon Blade unto his master's hands. Three weeks later in Tairon, Doku investigates the monastery after a powerful energy disturbance. Upon arriving he finds Rachel alone and starts mocking her. Defending herself with her warhammer, Rachel tries to smash Doku with the full strength of her fiendish bloodline, but this proves ineffective. Doku then counters with a backhand sending Rachel flying across the monastery and knocking her unconscious. Collecting his prize, Doku walks out with a battered Rachel in one arm towards Zarkhan. On the way, Doku encounters a vengeful Ryu in the Coliseum. Locking Rachel behind a barricade, the Samurai Deity and Dragon Ninja battle once again. Throughout the coliseum the warriors battle fiercely with Doku wielding his signature weapon the cursed Kitetsu against Ryu Hayabusa and his Dragon Sword. The duel ends with Doku's defeat, where Ryu forcefully interrogates Doku for the location of the Dark Dragon Blade. Upon dying, Doku informs Ryu of his Dragon Lineage's Dark Dragon bloodline, that Ryu also draws his strength from the evil deities and that his rightful place is beside the Emperor."Ryu: Where is the Dark Dragon? Doku: It is in the hands of the Holy Vigoor Emperor. Your true master, you see... young Ryu, you are not so different from us. Those of the Dragon Lineage like yourself draw their blood from the same ancient deities.. as the fiends. You most of all should know that your true place is at the Emperor's side." - Ninja Gaiden With his physical form destroyed, Doku becomes an evil spirit, vowing to bring about Alma's Fiendish Awakening. Through the Ancient Greater Fiends Nicchae and Ishtaros, Spirit Doku manages to recapture Rachel, chaining her up above a pyramid for sacrifice to awaken Alma's full potential. But his plan is foiled by Ryu, leaving Spirit Doku to flee to the Zarkhan Labyrinth. Ryu follows Spirit Doku to the end of the Labyrinth where they have another duel, after another intense fight, Doku is defeated once more. Before his spirit is destroyed, Doku with last bit of strength afflicts Ryu with the Fiend's Blood Curse, transforming Ryu into the one thing he hates the most: a Fiend. ''Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword'' Six months later Spirit Doku is resurrected by the Dark Dragonstones. Deranged and in his spirit form he haunts the ruined underground Coliseum in Tairon, screaming for the Dragon Ninja, Vengeance and the Dark Dragon Blade. When Ryu enters the underground coliseum, he is haunted by Doku's familiar voices, leading up to their ultimate confrontation once more. Ryu manages to defeat Spirit Doku, hurling Doku's evil soul into oblivion. After Doku's defeat, Ryu obtains the Dark Dragonstone of Spirit. Powers and Abilities General *'''Agility: In his physical form Doku is quick with his sword strikes, but not as acrobatic as a ninja. In his spirit form he is able to manoeuvrer swiftly in flight. *'Strength': Doku possesses supernatural strength, and is able to send a grown human flying from a slap or a throw with little effort. *'Swordsmanship': As the most skilled samurai of the Vigoorian army, Doku's skill with the katana is at the highest calibre; having been able to best even Ryu Hayabusa single combat. *'Hand to Hand': Doku is able to perform simple Samurai jiu-jutsu style throws. *'Spirit Form': A form in which Doku takes up when his physical form is destroyed, he is more mobile as a flying spirit. Techniques *'Stab of Extinction': Doku throws his sword, chopping anything in its path before boomeranging back to his hand. *'Extinction Straight Slash': Doku charges up and unleashes a single deadly slash. *'Ultimate Technique': Doku unleashes a 5-hit attack with his sword. *'Dead Soul Bind': A technique where Doku grabs and stabs his victim, this is usually followed up with a Soul Eraser. *'Soul Eraser': Once his victim is locked in a Dead Soul Bind, Doku will start draining the lifeforce out of them, replenishing himself if injured. *'Shockwave': Doku slams his sword into the ground sending out a 360 shock wave. *'Flamethrower': A move where Doku takes off his Samurai mask and spews out a deadly stream of blue flames. *'Devil Bringer': A move only used by Doku in his Spirit form to fight enemies at long range, where Spirit Doku sends his detached arm out grabbing an enemy at long range and bringing them closer to him for a close up strike. Weapons & Equipment *'Kitetsu': A cursed Japanese sword, this is Doku's weapon of choice. He is able to use it to its fullest extent, even using its supernatural capabilities. *'Dark Dragon Blade': A Blade infused with the soul of the Dark Dragon, with the dark energies of this blade Doku was able to cut down Ryu Hayabusa. Trivia *In Ninja Gaiden Black, during his fights, Doku receives help from a few small Samurai, Berserkers and, in its Spirit Form, he gets help from Ghost Fish. *He is one of the Five Greater Fiends of the Holy Vigoorian Empire along with Ishtaros, Nicchae, Marbus, and Alma. *He was made Lord of the Greater Fiends by Vigoor for his loyalty to him. *His name, when translated from Japanese, means "poison", though the pronunciation is different. *Doku reappears in Ninja Gaiden 3 as a boss in some Ninja Trails, as well in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge in a Test of Valor. *Ironically, Doku is the only boss in the whole game that can be attacked by Kitetsu's Dead Soul Bind. *His Japanese voice actor, Koji Totani was well known for voicing Jagi in Fist of the North Star, Kacricon Cacooler in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Capricorn Shura in Saint Seiya. * His name pronunciation was most likely changed because in the Japanese dub, The 'o' was emphasized, making it sound like the English word 'Dork'. Strategy There are three versions of Doku to fight. Please note that in all versions, Doku will use a similar strategy where Doku will tend to use mostly ranged attacks only (such as throwing sword or stabing ground to causing shockwave) whenever Ryu is not close enough for Doku to hit with his sword. As Doku is not especially vulnerable when he does these ranged attacks, it is better to stay close to Doku just out of reach of his grab attack and continue dodging his attacks to bait Doku into eventually doing his multi-hit combo or charge, which are the two attacks Doku is the most vulnerable after just performing. Another thing to note that it is best to use Dragon Sword in most battles with Doku. Keep in mind that if you use a heavy weapon to block Doku's multi-hit combo, most hits will break Ryu's guard, and Ryu will get hit by the next attack of the multi-hit combo. This is because when Ryu uses a heavy weapon, he has a longer recovery time after having his guard broken, leaving him vulnerable for longer. As such, it is recommended to block with a lighter weapon such as the Dragon Sword, where Ryu can safely dodge after having his guard broken and avoid successive hits in Doku's combo. There are some situations where using a heavy weapon can be useful in fights with Doku, but blocking his multi-hit combo is not one of them. If Doku grabs you for his health draining "Soul Eraser" attack, escape this grab earlier by mashing the buttons and thumbstick. Lastly, during some fights with Doku, he and Ryu will sometimes lock swords. Mash the buttons (weak, strong, jump, projectile) and wiggle the thumbstick for movement. Be sure to be mashing the "weak attack" button the most during the end. Mash enough buttons on controller to "win" and for a small moment Doku will be vulnerable to a combo. If you were mashing the weak attack button, you will have probably "won" and hopefully be beginning a combo on him, preferably the "Tiger Roar" (weak, weak, strong) combo. Doku can successfully retaliate if you do a combo more than four hits (sometimes as few as three), so do not use a combo longer than three or four hits. If you "lose" the locked sword encounter, expect to be hurt or even grabbed. Doku with Dark Dragon Blade in "The Hayabusa Ninja Village" chapter (Sigma only) *During this battle, at nearly all times, Ryu should be close enough to Doku to reach him with an "Extinction Stright Slash" or "ET" (Essence Technique, or level 1 Ultimate Technique), but should avoid being close enough to be grabbed or being hit with a sword swing from a standing Doku. Keep dodging his attacks until he does one that leaves him vulnerable then counterattack him, and repeat until done. *Doku has a grab and a standing sword swing that will automatically kill you in one hit. If you find yourself close to him, be sure to dodge away from these attacks and remember your are invincible from most attacks just after you begin a Reverse Wind dodge roll. *Ryu's primary means of attack here should be an "Extinction Stright Slash" or "ET" (Essence Technique, or level 1 Ultimate Technique). This gives Ryu invincibility when executing this dash-like attack, and is very useful as Doku has a vulnerability after most of his attacks (during this battle only). Remember to do an On-Land charge (press and hold Strong attack just before touching ground after a jump) to reduce charge time, when convenient. *Unlike other fights with Doku, he is vulnerable just after doing his "flamethrower breath" attack and his (stick the sword into the ground) "shockwave" attack. *Once you see Doku's "flamethrower" breath attack beging, jump towards him and land with an On-land charge. During the later parts of when he puts his facemask back on, release the strong attack button to hit him with an ET. *Once you see Doku begin his (stick the sword into the ground) "shockwave" attack, begin charging (you should always be in range for an ET to hit in the first place). Time your attack so that your ET hits him just after he sticks his sword into the ground and you will hurt him. You will travel through his shockwave during this time, but it will not hurt you as you are invincible when performing an ET. *If Doku does his multi-hit combo, dodge his attacks and just after he finishes follow up with a "Fang of the Wolf" (weak, weak, strong, strong) attack. It is not recommended to use an ET, unless you have one set up already. You can release release the ET just before getting hit to hurt Doku, move through his attacks with the invincibility from the ET, and immedietly block or dodge away (hopefully unhurt). *If Doku does his charge attack, dodge his attacks and just after he finishes follow up with a "Fang of the Wolf" (weak, weak, strong, strong) attack. It is not recommended to use an ET, unless you have one set up already. *Story wise there is no change for defeating Doku in chapter 2 of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the story campaign progresses the same as whether you win or lose. However it will unlock the next difficulty early, without beating the game. For example, if a player defeats chapter 2 Doku on Hard difficulty, it will unlock Very Hard difficulty without the need to beat the entire game on Hard first. Doku in "The Path To Zarkhan" chapter *Same strategy as usual, stay close to Doku just out of reach of his grab or standing sword swings, and keep dodging his attacks until he does his multi-hit combo or charge attack, which leave him the most vulnerable afterwards. After he does a multi-hit combo or charge attack, follow up with a quick "Fang of the Wolf" (weak, weak, strong, strong) attack. *If you are close enough plus in a good position, you can roll through Doku's '"Stab of Extinction" '(throw sword like boomerang attack), and perform a quick "Tiger Roar" (weak, weak, strong) combo. Begin combo as soon as you can, while Doku's arm is still stretched out from throwing the sword. If you do any more hits than a three hit combo, Doku might be able to safely counter attack you. *If there is any essence floating around, consider doing an ET or UT with Dabilahro from a safe distance when Doku is vulnerable (during multi-hit combo, when throwing sword, or during charge). If you have the True Dragon Sword, it's ET will be more powerful than a Dabilahro's ET. *Defeat the enemy minion ninja helpers first, perhaps with an Izuna drop or blade of nitri attack, then go after Doku. Sometimes a flying swallow will kill them, if the difficulty is low enough. Consider using smoke bombs or ninja stars to have them stand around vulnerable for a second if you have trouble with them. *In mission mode where Ryu fights this version of Doku in that otherworld circular arena (such as in Eternal Legend), it is quite useful to defeat the minion ninjas with the Dabilharo's "Raging Thunderous Blade" (strong flying bird flip) attacks. Remember to do this as far away from Doku, and to keep an eye on what attacks Doku is doing, to avoid getting hurt. This tends to keep Ryu from being hit, usually killing the minion ninjas in one hit, and has better reach (more likely to connect) than the equivalent move done by the Dragon Sword. Doku in ghost form during the "Vengeful Spirit" chapter *Same strategy as usual, stay close to Doku just out of reach of his grab or standing sword swings, and keep dodging his attacks until he does his multi-hit combo or charge attack, which leave him the most vulnerable afterwards. After he does a multi-hit combo or charge attack, follow up with a quick "Fang of the Wolf" (weak, weak, strong, strong) attack. *It is also quite useful to use an Inazuma ninpo to defeat ghost fish, which leave a lot of essence. If you want the end of chapter Karma bonus for ninpo, be sure to recovery your ninpo meter with items before the end of the fight. *At this point in the game's story mode, Ryu will probably have the Unlabored Flawlessness unlocked. One can easily enter the fight with low health to take advantage of its increased offensive capabilities when Ryu is under 25% health. With Talismans of Rebirth on hand, one can do this with minor consequence if getting hit. An Ultimate Technique attack from the Unlabored Flawlessness can do significant damage to Doku If any essence is floating around (from dead ghost fish). Be sure that Doku is vulnerable first, such as during or after an attack, otherwise the UT will go to waste. *Although you will probably trade hits when doing so, Doku is also quite vulnerable to the Unlabored Flawlessness "Flying Dragon Falling Slash" combo (equivalent to Dragon Swords "Blade of Nitri" combo, performed by weak, strong, weak, weak, weak, weak) and the Lunar Staff's "Lunar Explosion" combo (Foward + strong, strong, strong) as he has an always vulnerable hitbox that is just above his head. *If Doku grabs you with his "Devil Bringer" detached arm grab, if you mash the buttons + control stick enough you can escape the grab without taking damage. *When Doku does his "Devil Bringer" detached arm grab, sometimes your Ultimate Technique will uselessly target the detached arm (which is invincable) as opposed to the main body of Doku. *Before and after the ghost Doku fights, you can earn a lot of essence / money for supplies by killing ghost fish. Ghost fish are an excellent source of essence / money if you kill them all in one long (30 to 40 hit) combo string, which is easy to do. Quotes * "Ah, the failed protector of the Dark Dragon. Must I take your life yet again?" - Doku talking to Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden, Black, and Sigma. * "Alma, with your own flesh and blood as sacrifice, receive now... the... Awakening!" * "My hatred will not be so easily defeated!" - Doku to Ryu when defeated for the first time. * "Pitiful woman, your sister must be quite precious to you." - to Rachel. * "Receive the curse...become a Fiend!" - to Ryu after being defeated in his spirit form, changing Ryu into a fiend Gallery Doku.jpg Dokuinflames.jpg DokuNGI.jpg 284.jpg NG1_Render-Enemy_Doku_render2.jpg|NG1: Doku Render Enemy_Boss_Doku_Ghost_069.jpg|NG1: Ghost Doku References Category:Enemies Category:Fiends Category:Characters Category:Boss Battles Category:Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Characters Category:Ninja Gaiden Characters Category:Vigoorian characters Category:Deceased Category:Warlords